...i had a really nice weekend catching up with some of my beloveds, drumming and hanging out. i've been driving on these long trips lately... western MA, Maryland... the car time alone is nice--just me, music, and whatever my brain throws at me to ponder. those things that come up are related to what i'm doing in the world, how i spend my time. lately i've just been picky about who i'm spending my time with and what they mean to me; and what i think i mean to them... what i bring to their existence. perhaps it's all related to my new role as a parent and thinking about what i'll be able to share that has brought all this up. maybe.

...me... western mass. with drums.

... it's kind of crazy; i haven't posted in months. i've beeen kidnapped by facebook. fuck... there apps are sexy.

really, i've just been so busy that posting has been less and less a priority. i suppose i blogged more when i felt i needed to communicate more with the outside world, living fairly remotely. now, i'm just surrounded by people and communication being what it is i can get in touch with folks at a moments notice.

but for those out there that read this who may not have heard the news, baby two is on the way, and the house is progressing nicely. tomorrow i will start the major work on sylvan's room (wiring,cat 5 connection, new closet, fan bracket, window...) and enjoy the sow that is forecast. friday i'll be in western mass for the day (and into saturday) so let me know if anyone wants to hang out.

the monkey has decided lately that he needs to sleep on the 'office couch bed' and watch star wars until he falls asleep. on one hand this is fabulous because--as many of you know-- i am a huge star wars geek. on the other hand, i feel as though i am being held hostage... like when you create a hell of your favorite things; you become sick of them. on the upside, he hasn't seen any other media (no films, and we are a tv free household) so he hasn't a clue of what other kids are seeing. and he loves music which delights me greatly.

i suppose that's enough for now. back to my wine...

Lifted from katiebirdi:

Post 3 things you've done in your lifetime that you don't think anybody else on your friends list has done.
* See if anybody else responds with "I've done that."
* Have your friends cut & paste this into their journal to see what unique things they've done in their life.

1. Climbed on and in the Pyramids at Giza.

2. Tried to become a human kite by tying a blanket to my wrists and ankles during a tornado.

3. Felt the cold steel of a loaded pistol on my forehead during an altercation with a Mexican 'police officer'.

...i don't post anymore.

so i was just giving my dogs some biscuits and the box states that dogs love the taste, 100% guaranteed. how do they know dogs love the way they taste? do they have access to the worlds only dog translator? and should we believe these epicurean canines, after all, this is the species that licks butt and eats poop.

well, my summer is off to a slow start. while working on my studio, i decided that it would be a great idea to attempt to slice off the tip of one of my fingers; i only managed to slice down to the bone but it was enough to curtail any serious drumming. which sucked because a few days later i left for rites of spring, at which i play percussion all week. kind of a bummer, but as a friend of mine pointed out, i get to hang out with africans and play djembe all year, so i'm lucky to have a break. i guess that's true.

we start the next phase of the house this month, that is tearing off a porch and a mudroom to make a new, larger entryway that is more energy efficient and gives us some much needed storage. as i mentioned, i've also been finishing my studio; soon i'll have a space to get back to making some art.

sylvan is getting bigger, which means he is getting more words and ideas of his own. he is currently into trucks and construction vehicles, in addition to fire trucks, helicopters, and motorcycles. i have no idea where this is coming from... we don't watch t.v., and i have never been interested in vehicles aside from building model cars when i was a kid. but he likes 'star wars', so it's not all bad.

see, this is why i don't post... i can sum up several week in just a few paragraphs.

...so two weekends ago, I ended up in Western Mass to watch 'the monkey' while momma danced and spent time with her friends. I was able to catch up with some of my favorite peeps (is it still cool to say 'peeps'?), get in some drumming, and have my favorite chai while bumping into two friends/ex's who were discussing what it was like to date me; they were a little surprised to see me when I entered because I am living in a different state... surprise! We had a good laugh and caught up. In some ways, I miss my old haunts, but then I remember that nothing there ever changes which is why it is so easy to go back and visit.

Last weekend we went down to New Jersey to celebrate a late Samhain. I didn't really get to sink in and feel connected in the way I would have liked mainly because we were not staying the night and had several hours of driving both ways. But Sylvan had a great time running across the light cover of snow in the woods and playing with our friends dogs; who, as Border Collies, were attempting to herd the gleeful little child with little success.

The last few weeks I have been missing an old friend of mine. We did not know each other for long, but we had (have?) a deep connection to  similar things. Now that person lives across the country and I can connect with them only on-line. I occasionally move through phases of missing someone and then forgetting, getting sucked into my day-to-day existence, but this--I remind myself--is different... a visceral longing to re-connect.

We have had a few light snow showers, but nothing substantial. I suppose we are due for a winter that is actually cold and wet, but I am not in a rush to bust out the snow-thrower. So I have started my list of indoor winter house/art projects, and now that the office is completed, I feel that I'll actually get some free time to create some paintings.

That's all for now, poppa needs sleep.

1) Absolutely nothing interesting happened today.

2) Sylvan is still super-cute.

3) It's getting really cold at night.

oh yeah... exciting!

Today I ended up in NYC for the day, hanging out at the Museum of Natural History. I love that place! I can (and have) spent an entire day there. I love to hang out in the African Peoples sections. Sylvan had a wonderful time dashing around and looking at all the exhibits. I can't wait for him to be old enough to really get into the science parts of it all. For now though, the super-cute toddler laughing and running will have to do.

We've had so much rain up here lately, which has mad a few tasks more unpleasant, namely re-sweating copper baseboard heat in the crawlspace. For those of you who don't know what that is, imagine a small, dank, musty place with very little room to move covered in dirt, insects, spiders, and various mold spores. Now imagine trying to work there. Yup, like that. When it gets wet outside, a crawlspace is just a nasty place. So picture me wearing a respirator and head lamp, dressed in bulky clothing all tucked , and wielding a blow torch.  Sexy. At least I can turn the heat  back on finally.

So I rebuild a Balafon last night for Sylvan, mainly so that I might be able to play mine without interruption; we'll see how that works out.

I suppose that's all for today. It's time for the pet feeding frenzy!

*edited for grammatical errors.

So today I went the the Connecticut Faire for the day. I spent the bulk of my time with alekryan a.k.a. Sheriff Bracken. It's fun to playfully torment patrons. I was also fortunate enough to see some old friends, which is nice.

I could have done without the three hour drive each way; thank goodness for iPods!

Sometimes I forget important details, like my wallet, friends names, cash, where I was going, even what I was thinking. But the one thing I have never forgotten is when I need to purchase coffee.

Until yesterday that is.

I knew the precious bean supply was depleted when I left the house, having just tipped the previous bags contents into the filter basket, and yet I completely failed to resupply my caffeinated coffer. So imagine my surprise this morning.

Fortunately, I had espresso beans for my La Pavoni. Whew, that could have been ugly...

So I managed to get to drum class today and stayed to play for dance class as well; I even got to solo. No pressure at all, soloing for an African dance class in front of Africans! Then the monkey and I did some groceries and played until momma got home, then they left for a while so I could install the new ceiling in the (almost finished) office.

I think tomorrow we are supposed to go out and be social. But as previously mentioned, I can't remember.

I believe that the last time I posted, I said I would get better about journaling more frequently; oops... I guess having a child, working on a house, drumming, making art, etc... seemed to have eaten up my blog time. When did I get a life?

Sometimes I miss posting at 3am.

After I left Boston, my journal  really became a form of therapy,  I could rant, complain, reflect, connect... whatever I felt I needed I could somehow manifest on-line. Now I find that those things are happening more in the "real" world, and my  re-immersion into the realm of the tangible has grounded me in new and interesting ways. Late night reading and writing has become the way I unwind at night rather than the start of another sleepless night seeking distractions so I could avoid wallowing in my own misery. I suppose that explains internet porn...

But I know I am not alone in this electronic mind-fuck. After all, all of you reading this are wasting time on-line too. Why aren't we all meeting our neighbors and throwing block parties? Perhaps we would be better served if we had discussions with those folks outside our comfort zones; those 'other folks'. Maybe we are all trapped in our fear state and just unable to get outside of our bubbles because we have so little free time and every moment is precious. It is hard to get out there, I struggle with it whenever I engage in some discussion with some contractor at the store when I start to explain how it's the little things that help make a better world. I guess I like to both dream and beat my head on the wall.

::thunk::

So last Tuesday I turned forty... kinda crazy. I know that epijunkie also turned forty about twenty-four hours earlier. I was planning on calling, but I forgot to transfer numbers out of my old cell to my new one a while ago. Why am I even mentioning this...?

Anyway... my sweetie and I have the same birthday, so every other year one of us gets to decide what the birthday festivities will be. This year was my turn, so we went into the City (for those who are unaware, 'the City' is NYC) and I got to play around in the big shiny Apple store. If you have never been, it's like the Qa'bah for mac geeks; a giant glass cube with an Apple logo. I think that I may have circumambulated it a few times before I entered. It is definitely a fun place to visit if you have lots of time. I got a nice present while we were there, and then had breakfast. After that I caught up with my pal Su and we looked for music and drank way to many caffeinated beverages. Then back uptown for sushi with Dana's folks. Several hours later we were back upstate and home. Saying 'upstate' in New York is basically anything north of the Tappan Zee Bridge; kinda like when folks from Boston say western Mass, meaning anything west of Rt. 128.

We are still continuing to work on the house. We tore apart the pet room, the mud-room, part of a hallway, and the office. I like it when the rooms are just bare studs; a blank canvas. So we have a plan for the changes we have in mind, much easier to complete than the crazy upstairs and living room projects. Insulate, new wiring and outlets, and sheetrock. Nothing fancy.

Well it's getting late (when did I start going to bed so early...) so I'll stop here.

Night.

I like the smell of Play-doh.

...to find that extraterrestrials had invaded my lawn.

Yeah, so... where has all the time gone? I've been quite busy; lots of time with 'the Monkey', drumming, house stuff, festivals... the normal summer stuff. There is so much, I'm not even sure where to begin. I guess I'll start with the boy.

He turned one at the end of April, and he is keeping us busy. He likes to climb steps, chase the pets, get into the pots and pans, and bang on anything he can reach. His favorite pastime lately is to try to sneak into the pet-room and get into the kitty litter. Yeah, fun. He never puts anything in his mouth, so there are no worries about him 'sampling' anything he gets his hands on. Nevertheless, I like to keep him out of there 'cause I get all grossed out. So far, he has a sweet, fun disposition and likes to explore and figure things out on his own.

Rites has come and gone. I had a nice time, though I was busy as usual. I did manage to get in a lot of music time, which helped me to not feel so flat out busy, and it's always fun to catch up with friends.

The aforementioned lawn and I are struggling for dominance. I have tools, but the yard has the advantage of nasty weeds and poison ivy. I'm working against twenty years of neglectful owners. But owning items that allow me to set fire to the whole place makes me some twisted kind of gardening super-power. I have had success in planting (and not killing) the cherry tree I got for Dana for Mothers Day, so I shall relish in the small victories. We have decided to not plant a garden this year, leaving it fallow so we can build planter boxes and do some major landscaping.

I can't think of much else right now. Perhaps I'll post later on.

so today was 'poppa gets to slack off day'. i worked on building a few drums, drank a lot of coffee, listened to balaphone music, watched a star wars movie, ate a steak, and i'm about to read. momma is out hanging out with friends and the monkey is sleeping. tomorrow we go to african drum and dance class for a few hours then to the 'ballet le africans'. for those of you who have never gone, you should; it's loads of fun.

i could say more, but i just want to enjoy the rest of my quiet evening.

...I get the hiccups!

Perhaps I had too much hot sauce? Nah...

...there's actually snow falling here right now. Perhaps it'll stick.

...of African percussion, I have finally split open a finger while playing. All the African guys in class are going "that's good, very good!". I'm thinking about where I left my jar of shea butter, and that we're only halfway through dance class.

But I keep playing.

...what a crazy time the last several weeks have been. This weather has allowed to do some work outdoors that I would otherwise be unable to do; should I be grateful for global warming? Everyone in our area (it seems) has been getting sick with something or other lately. Both the boy and mom were sick enough to require antibiotics but I have managed to elude the illness monster by ingesting large amounts of ginseng and emergen'c. In house news, the upstairs is done (with the exception of a few cosmetic details); the doors I made for the closets came out really nice, and the hardwood floor I put down in the living room looks great. I have been on a bread baking kick the last few weeks as well. I've been making sourdough (including a starter) and brioche. I think I'll make croissant this weekend if I get the time.

So we purchased a chest freezer and half a cow, cut to order. Yum!

Been playing a lot of music lately, and started to learn a new style of percussion from Senegal. I reside in an area that has quite a few African musicians who have managed to jump ship from various state sponsored percussion and/or dance ensembles from Senegal, Ghana, and Guinea. Yeah, I'm a kid in a candy shop. So now I practice this new stuff everyday and go to a few classes a week. Mom and the boy come too, so it's like a family outing. In fact, going to dance and drum class is about the only regular thing we do; our schedule is quite full and random otherwise, with juggling the boy between us (rather than ship him off to a babysitter) and our normaly full lifestyles. Fortunately for us he likes to travel.

We have also been going to more baby pot-lucks and birthday parties. Being surrounded by babies (or 'Infant Americans' as they prefer to be called) and their parental units is intense. Lucky for me there is usually beer at these functions and the guys don't really talk about sports.

I think that about covers it all. Here's a picture of the monkey: